TORONTO – While the basement suite issue has been hotly debated here in Surrey but now Brampton, a kind of similar multicultural with dominant South Asian population like in Surrey, has also has some residents riled up over an issue that has divided the city along cultural lines, with immigrant groups demanding that basement apartments be legalized while others remain steadfastly opposed.
“Immigrants want the basement apartments; they need them,” says Councillor Vicky Dhillon. “There’s intolerance from some people.”
The Ontario government has passed legislation that came into effect the beginning of the year and required municipalities to legalize basement apartments. It was seen as a way to help cut waiting lists for affordable housing but many people in Brampton expressed concern that driveways, front lawns and residential streets would be overrun with cars, and garbage would be piled up along the sides of homes.
Councillor Grant Gibson, chair of the city’s bylaw committee, says residents are also worried about overcrowding at schools and safety issues, specifically fire code violations.
Others question whether property tax formulas could be adjusted to account for additional tenants using municipal services.
While Gibson acknowledges it’s a “huge issue in Brampton,” he backs away from any suggestion that it has divided the city’s immigrant communities from those who have lived there for decades.
Rajinder Saini thinks otherwise.
“It’s as if the city doesn’t want certain people here,” says the head of the Parvasi Media Group and host of a popular Punjabi radio show in Brampton.
But Saini agrees with Gibson about the enormity of the issue. “Most newcomers can’t afford new houses or high rents.”
Major Singh, who has advocated for legal basement apartments for more than 15 years, says the demand goes beyond Brampton’s immigrant groups. “Seniors who need affordable housing or the extra income, and single-parent families, are desperate.”
Peel Region is experiencing a crisis in affordable housing, with a waiting list of more than 21 years.
Singh says it’s also in keeping with the province’s mandate for intensification and managed growth across southern Ontario.
“I started in a basement apartment more than 20 years ago, then I moved up. It’s the natural progression for immigrants,” he said.
Gibson agrees, but questions how the city might guarantee safety standards such as proper fire exits and ventilation for cooking appliances.
Dhillon says there are upwards of 30,000 illegal basement apartments in Brampton, which pose a bigger safety risk because they are unregulated.
The province’s legislation states municipalities can tailor their legal basement bylaws to suit the community.
Toronto already has a bylaw that allows basement apartments, while Vaughan, Mississauga and others are quickly moving toward compliance.
“It’s a safety issue for a lot of people in Brampton,” Gibson says. “I hope the report we get next week will address a lot of these issues. Then we’re going to start a series of public consultations into the summer. We want to inform the public, then hear from them and act. We have to move forward with this.”
